Mail-transferring apparatus



E. A. RASHELL MAIL TRANSFER-RING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 20, I9I8.

,$37,956. Patented Apr. 20, 1920.

INVENTR NITED STATES FATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD ALLEN RASHELL, OF LAMASCO, TEXAS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF T0 W. L.SMART, OF LAMASCO, TEXAS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 20, 1920.l

Application filed March 20, 1918. Serial No. 223,582.

To all whom t may Concern.'

Be it known that I, EDWARD A. RAsHnLL,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Lamasco, in the county ofFanninv and State of Texas, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Mail-Transferring Apparatus, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to mail transferring apparatus and moreparticularly to an improved construction whereby mail sacks betransferred from a stationary point at the side of the railway to themail car and be swung into the latter in a manner that will reduce to aminimum thevdanger of injuring the employees in the mailcar.

A further object of this invention is to provide a device of thischaracter which consists of comparatively few parts and is simple inconstruction but durable and well adapted to withstand the rough usageto which devices of this character are ordinarily subjected.

For a full description of the invention and the advantages and meritsthereofref erence is to be had to the following description whereinFigure 1 is a top plan view of the device constructed in accordance withmy invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the bag holding portion of the invention.

Fig. 3 is a detail section through a portion of the apparatus.

Referring to the drawings, wherein is illustrated the preferred form ofmy invention, in which like numerals of reference indicate correspondingparts throughout the several views, the side wall A of the mail car isprovided with the usual doorway B through which the mail is received.Arranged within the car is a shaft 1 supported in suitable bearings 2which are preferably and accompanyingk drawingsl attached to the hangermembers 3 suspended from a portion of the roof of the car. Rotatablymounted upon the shaft 1 is a sleeve 4 and this sleeve carries a handlever 5 adapted to be grasped by the operator when the sleeve 1 is to beoperated on the shaft 1. A suitable spring-pressed locking-pin 6 isextended through an opening in the sleeve 4l and is pivotally connectedto a thumb lever associated with the hand lever 5 for the purpose ofactuating the locking pin when the lever is gripped in the manner commonto the well known locking devices of this type. The end of the lockingpin 6 is received in an elongated grove or key way 7 shown to advantagein Fig. 3, of the drawing. Thus when the locking pin 6 is released fromthe groove or key way 7 the sleeve may be readily rotated on the shaft1.

Projecting from the sleeve 4 at a point diametrically opposite the lever5 is an eX- tension 8, the end of which is integrally connected with anenlarged hook 9 which is adapted. to be disposed in a position forreadily engaging the mail sacks mounted at the sides of the railway at atransferring station.

By referring to Fig. 1 of the drawing it will be observed that the bight10 of the hook is in close proximity to vone edge of the door-wayvof themail car, while the bill 11 is of straight formation andrterminates at apoint near the opposite edge of the door-way. In other words the bightof the hook is in close proximity to one edge of the door-way while theterminal of the bill of the hook is slightly spaced from the oppositeedge of the door for a purpose that will presently appear.

The mail sack O is attached to the sack holder which includes thestraight bar 12 provided with loops 13 at opposite sides andlongitudinally spaced apart for receiving the ends of fastening straps14- which exl tend around the mail sack and tightly hold the latter tothe bar 12. Obviously, each of these straps 14 may be provided with abuckle to tighten the sacks to the bar 12 if the sack is only partiallyfilled with mail. Attached to the bar 12 is a bow l5 which consists of asteel rod of substantially hemispherical formation'. The ends of the rodareattached to the bar 12 and this bow is also bridged by the bracemember 16 which acts to prevent disconnection of the bow from the bar 12during the mail transferrin operation.

The mail bag may be suspended at the side of the railway station and anynumber may be arranged in a row, all of course, being provided with asack holder. In the present instance, the mail bag is provided with asuitable eyelet 17 adapted to receive one end of a supporting hook 18which latter may be supported by any suitable device such as a rafterprojecting from the station. lVhile supported as shown in Fig. 2 of thedrawing, it will be obvious that the portion l1 of the mail hook carriedby the car will be extended through the bow 15 and when the hook ispassed forwardly until the portion 10 engages the bow it will be obviousthat the bag will be removed from the hook 18. Instead of swinging intothe car, however, the bag will be thrown against the exterior of the carby virtue of the close proximity of the portion 10 to the edge of thedoor-way. The bow 15, however, being of semi-circular formation willpermit the bag to swing to a horizontal position so that the bagwill besupported by the bow from the hook at a point indicated at 19. It willthen be an easy matter for the employee within the mail car to slide thebag toward the end ofthe hook and pass it over the end thereof wherebyit may be drawn into the car if the hook is to remain in operativeposition. Thisinethod'of removing the mail sack, however, is notnecessary for the reason that the hand lever 5 may be actuated for thepurpose-ofswinging the sleeve l on the shaft 1 thus permitting the hookto swing downwardly into the car whereupon the mail bag carried by thehook will be readily removed by sliding the bow over the end of theportion 11 whichwill then be disposed within the car.

The device is especially adapted for preventing injury being done to thecontents of the bag or to the bag itself as it will be readily seen thatwhen the hook engages the bow 15 the bar 12 will prevent contact of theend of the hook with the' bag and also the strap 14 snugly engaging thebag will be of heavy material and will'prevent the bag or the contentsthereof being injured when the bag is swung against the exterior of thecar. In addition to its use for protecting the bag, the holder isespecially adapted for use with this particular type of hook element ashas'been set forth.

From thel foregoing it will be observed that a very simple and ldurabletransferring device has been provided, the details of which embody thepreferred form. I desire it to be understood, that Vslight changes maybe made in the minordetails of construction, without departing from,Vthe spirit of the invention or the scope .of the claim hereuntoappended.

I claim:

An apparatus ofthe character described adapted for use on a railway car,comprising a horizontal support mounted within'the car, a sleeve memberVslidablyV mounted on the support means mounted on the sleeve member .tonormally lockV the said sleeve against rotary movement on the horizontalsupport and adapted to be released whereby the said sleeve may be turnedon the supi port, the said horizontal support being in such proximity totliedoorway of the said car as to permit the approximate closing ofdoor, and a hook member carried by the said sleeve and comprising alateral extension having the bight Vportion of the said hook connectedthereto, the bill of the hook being less than the width of the car doorway, whereby the said hook lmay Vbe projected through the said doorwaywhen. they said sleeve is swungon the horizontal support,

the said releasablemeans. being adapted'toV maintainthe sleeve inposition against ro-Y tation whereby the said end of the hook may beheldin a horizontal position on the exterior of the car.

In testimony whereof I aiix my signature in presence of two witnesses. pEDVVARI) ALLEN RSHELL.

lVitnesses A F. I. SMITH, I. S. MARTIN.

